"Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth"  (II Tim. 2:15).

We should be diligent to present ourselves to God.  The Greek says that we should be eager to present ourselves to God, which is an earnest anticipation waiting and looking to God for His approval.  This truly comes out of a love fellowship in our relationship with Him.  Paul goes on to say that we do not have to be ashamed if we rightly divide the word of truth.  This is a clear indication that there can be wrongly divided as well as rightly divided scripture.  Could it be that a great deal of our disappointments may come from lack of rightly divided scripture?  Could it be that some of our fellowship with God is strained from lack of rightly divided scripture?  Could it be that some of our prayer requests are not being answered, if we are asking amiss and not according to rightly divided scripture?  Let's consider some of these things together.

First, let us realize that all scripture is inspired of God (II Tim. 3:16).  "Holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" (II Peter 1:21).  God worked in these holy men of God as them to best say what He said to them under the inspiration and direction of the Holy Spirit.  With review and canonization of the 66 books of the Bible, we have the divinely inspired, God-breathed, infallible Word of God,  which is God's standard to us. Paul says that, "All Scripture is  given  by inspiration  of God, and  is profitable  for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (II Tim. 3:16).  All scripture is inspired, but some segments is  for doctrine, some is  for  reproof, some is for correction, and some is for instruction in righteousness.  This is the purpose for rightly divided scripture.  The majority of the Old Testament was written to and for Israel and would be doctrine for them.  Most of the New Testament epistles are written to and for the Church and this would be doctrine for us.  We must rightly divide scripture between the Church and Israel, between the Jew and Gentile, between law and grace!

Most of our disappointments come when we try to make  the Church spiritual Israel and spiritualize doctrine to the Church out of the Old Testament.  There is surely a lot of great spiritual applications for reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness for me there. God promised Israel temporal blessings (Eph. 1:3).  If your mind is not Spirit-renewed to this truth, you will be thinking, believing, praying, and living not with rightly divided scripture.  Our fellowship will be hindered with our Father and many prayers will seem unanswered because we ask amiss not using rightly divided scripture.  Our Father's love and grace is abundant, just waiting to be released by His Spirit coupled with the use of rightly divided scripture!  V